Skinny Love
by blueoceanfloortwat
Summary: (Modern AU) Jean has quite a few issues, starting with his self esteem and ending with his weight. Not letting anyone in, he tries to deal with his problems alone, slowly killing him. What happens when he runs into a new problem? Or rather hits his new freckled problem with his car door?
1. Chapter 1

Music blared throughout the tiny white room light illuminated room with posters littering the walls. Books were scattered around the floor and there was a broken computer lying next to the messy queen sized bed. Under the black covers of the bed, Jean groaned and his hand emerged from the covers to try and turn off his alarm. He slammed around on his nightstand before finally finding his alarm clock, jamming down on the off button. The music disappeared and left the room with a dreary silence.

Jean moved the covers from over him and looked at the ceiling. His eyes and ears began to adjust to the room, his ears beginning to hear the clicking of his ceiling fan and his eyes sees the white paint that covered his ceiling.

Suddenly realizing that his alarm went off for a reason, he glanced at his clock: 7:17am. Of course. He had school.

Letting out yet another groan, he threw the covers off of him and pushed through the piles off books on his floor to get to his dresser. Yanking open a drawer, he took out a ratty pair of jeans and an old worn Nirvana t-shirt. He threw on the jeans and then looked at the t-shirt. 'What size even is this?' he thought. 'It looks way too big.' He checked and saw that it was a medium. Flinching a bit at the bold M on the tag, he took off his night shirt and went to his closet. Opening the closet door, he looked into the mirror that hung on the door. His reflection near horrified him.

"When did I get so fat?" he mumbled to himself. He looked at the Nirvana shirt again and slowly pulled it on. Much to his chagrin, it fit perfectly. Anger filled his eyes and his hands turned to fists. He contemplated punching the mirror before letting out a frustrated sigh and reaching onto the top shelf of his closet for a beanie. Glaring at his reflection for one last time, he pulled on the beanie and began to exit his room.

"Jean! Jean! _Jean!_"

Ashe was shutting his door, he turned his head to see his 5 year old sister, Delaney, running towards him. A small smile appeared on his face and he broke into a run towards her to meet her half way. She jumped into his arms and giggled as he lifted her up and began to make his way downstairs.

"Jean! Jean! Jean, today's my first day of kindergarten, isn't that great?!" Delaney practically yelled at Jean.

He chuckled and set his blonde sister in her seat at the kitchen table. "That's amazing, Del."

The little girl's eyes shined with excitement as she began to dig into the waffle that was set in front of her. Jean's face fell at the sight and he looked away, grabbing his backpack to leave.

"Where exactly do you think you're going?" Jean turned to see his mother standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Just heading to school," he answered. He tried his hardest to give her a smile, but she wasn't having any of it. She grabbed his arm and yanked him over to the table, shoving him into his seat. A waffle just like his sister's sat in front of him. Delaney seemed to be enjoying it, she was already halfway done. To him though, it wasn't as appetizing.

"it's your first day of junior year, Jean, and I can see your ribs for God's sake. You're not leaving this house without breakfast," his mother snapped at him. Delaney looked up from her plate, only seeing Jean's slightly pained face. Worry filled her mind but she didn't know how she would be able to help.

Jean plastered on another smile and looked at his mom. "You're right, I should eat. I will, Mom, don't worry."

His mother sighed and kneaded her temple with her knuckles. "I'm sorry for snapping, hon, just eat breakfast and have a good first day."

With that, she left the kitchen, probably to go to bed. As soon as he was sure that she was gone, Jean took the waffle and slid it onto Delaney's plate. Her eyes widened and she looked up at her big brother. "Jean, you told mom you'd eat! If you don't eat, you'll get sick!"

"I'll get even sicker if I do eat. Do you want me to get sick?"

Her blue eyes began to tear up and she shook her head.

Jean smiled and patted her head, getting up from the table. "Of course you don't. now eat up and don't tell mom." He picked up his backpack and went by her chair, kissing her lightly on the crown of her head. "Have a good first day, Del, I'll see you after school."

With that, he left through the kitchen door, closing it quietly as to not alert his mom of his exit.

As Jean arrived at school, he already wished that he was back at home. Kids were everywhere. Sitting on the front steps, on cars, even just on the pavement. He parked his beat up truck in the farthest parking spot from the school, not wanting to get any closer. He cut the engine and looked out the passenger window at all the people. He uncomfortably adjusted his shirt and cringed when he felt the fat underneath the fabric.

He pulled his hand away and sighed. "Well, this is why I'm skipping breakfast, right?"

Nodding to himself, he opened his door blindly. As soon as he heard his door hit something and heard a faint 'shit', he quickly hopped out of his seat. Shutting his door, he looked at the ground to see a muscular brunette who had his hand to his forehead.

"Oh fuck, I'm so sorry!" Jean kneeled down and tried to see if the other male was okay. "Are you okay? I am so sorry."

The freckle faced brunette took one look at Jean and let out a whole hearted laugh. Jean was confused and even a little confused, a light blush covering his face. He just hit this guy with a door, why was he laughing?

"It's totally fine. Not the first time for me to get hit with a car door," the brunette said. Seeing the look of horror on Jean's face, he laughed again. "I'm only kidding."

He stood up and held out a hand for Jean. Jean hesitantly took it and stood up. "I'm Marco," the freckled boy said.

"Jean," Jean replied.

"Nice to meet you, Jean. Mind walking into the school with me?" Jean stared at Marco, surprised he even wanted to be seen with him. He had only met the brown eyed boy one minute ago, but he could definitely tell that he was a jock. He wore dark blue jeans and a white shirt, his muscles almost obvious, and nothing about him put off the idea that he was unfriendly. He probably had loads of friends, quite the opposite of Jean. Jean kept to himself and tried to stay away from human interaction as much as possible. Why would this overly nice human being want to be around him?

Jean however might be quiet, but he wasn't an asshole, so he nodded and accepted Marco's invitation. While walking into the school, they didn't talk, but Jean could feel eyes boring into him. He looked around him and saw people staring and whispering to each other.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jean jumped slightly and looked over at Marco who stared at him with worried eyes.

"Y-yeah. Why's everyone staring at us?" he asked, even though the answer was quite obvious to him.

Marco was surprised by the question and looked around, suddenly noticing all the stares. "Hm. I have no idea. Oh well, let's go inside."

Jean was baffled by this guy. Didn't this idiot understand that they weren't supposed to be hanging out, didn't he even slightly worry about his social status? A jock like him usually wouldn't be caught dead around some skinny outcast, but somehow he just didn't care. What an oblivious twit.

"Actually, I still have to find my classes and my locker, and I'd like to do that by myself," Jean found himself saying. Marco turned to look at Jean and Jean thanked God – if there even was one – that Marco had an understanding face.

"Oh alright, I'll see you later then, man." Marco patted Jean on the shoulder with enough force to almost send him flying forward and then walked away to find his group of friends. Jean watched him walk away before running into the school and going to find a bathroom to hide in until first period.


	2. Chapter 2

Eventually, Jean exited the bathroom. He would've stayed in their all day if some guys hadn't come in and decided to smoke pot. Jean had nothing against drugs or people who did them, he just hated the smell. He made his way down the nearly empty hallway and slid into his first period English III class, about 20 minutes late. Trying his best to not draw attention, he crouched down and headed towards an empty desk at the back of the room. He however didn't notice a foot purposely set in front of him.

Tripping over the black Puma sneaker, he dropped his backpack and his body hit the floor with a loud _thud, _his body skidding forward slightly. An awkward silence fell over the room with small chuckles here and there as Jean tried to lift himself up. When he was in a sitting position, he noticed everyone's eyes on him. He felt his cheeks get warm and he hurriedly gathered his things before scurrying to the seat in the back.

"Ah yes, Mr. Kirstien, I was wondering when you'd show up. In the future, I suggest not being late for my class." Mr. Smith sent a small glare at Jean before continuing with his lesson. Jean's eyes slowly lifted from his desk and met the gaze of the boy who tripped him, Riener Braun. The husky blonde laughed under his breathe and looked back to the front of the room, but not before high fiving one of his goons.

Jean sighed and diverted his eyes back to anywhere but the people around him. Riener seemed to always have a problem with him and he wasn't sure why, he hadn't done anything. At least nothing he could think of. One day, he just started to pick on Jean, slightly leading up to Jean's problem with food though it wasn't the only cause. People could just be so mean.

30 minutes later, the bell for the next period rang and Jean grabbed his back pack to hurry out of the room. Getting into the hallway, he was caught in the cattle of the other students, going very suddenly slower. After a minute and a half of waiting, he got to his Algebra II room and sighed in relief. He got into a random seat in the back and took out his phone, ready to be on it the entire class period.

Then from the front of the room, a feminine voice rang out. "No. _Way!_"

Jean jumped a bit, but smiled when he looked up. Standing at the front was his best friend, Sasha Blouse, holding hands with his other best friend, Connie Springer. The brunette dragged her boyfriend to the back and sat in the desk in front of Jean, sitting in her seat backwards. Connie took a seat next to Jean, letting go of Sasha's hand.

"I can't believe you're in our class!" she shrieked. Others around their little group glared at her, but Jean knew better. He knew that _Sasha _didn't know better. But how Connie could date the girl, he'd never figure out.

He smiled a bit and put away his phone. "Yeah, I kind of thought I was alone in all my classes. Though Riener decided to show up in my English class." He let out a long sigh after the last statement.

At the mention of the blonde, Sasha's smile fell slightly and her eyes slowly darkened. "Has he done anything to you?"

Jean face palmed in his head. Why did he have to say anything? It was fine until he said something. "He just tripped me, but it's nothing."

Sasha looked ready to stand up and hunt down Reiner, but Connie took her hand, calming her slightly.

"That little shit," Jean heard her mumble.

He stared at her worriedly before a short man walked to the front of the room as soon as the bell rang, silencing the room. Connie squeezed Sasha's hand before dropping it again and looking down at his desk. The man at the front of the room wrote his name on the board and everyone realized who he was: Mr. Ackerman. Levi Ackerman. Mikassa Ackerman's brother.

As if on command, the short haired girl walked into the room and sat next to her friend, Armin and her boyfriend Eren, at the front of the room. Jean's eyes sat on the back of her head until the man at the front began to speak.

"My name is Mr. Ackerman and I am your Algebra II teacher. I'm sure you all know my sister Mikassa so you all also know my full name. But to put it simply, if any of you dares to call me Levi, I'll stick my boot so far up your ass, you won't be able to sit for a week. Are we clear?" Nods and 'yes's spread through the room, and Levi nodded his head, knowing that they were all in a silent agreement. Turning back to the board, he began to explain how this year would go.

Jean's eyes moved again to Mikassa's head. He wouldn't admit it, but he always had had a crush on the girl. Being an outsider though, he wasn't going to talk to her. With her short black hear and near perfect skin, he wouldn't dare talk to her. With Eren also hanging around her, his chances were near invisible. He knew how much Mikassa loved that guy.

She must've sensed him, because she turned her head quickly to examine those behind her. He looked down at his desk, not wanting her to see him staring. She only shrugged when she saw nothing and adjusted the scarf around her neck, looking back to the front. Jean looked back up and was relieved to see the back of her head.

The rest of the class period and periods after that passed with little to no unneeded experiences. Jean was tired by the time that he got to the lunch room for his 7th period. He knew getting lunch would just end with him staring at the plate the entire period so he didn't bother and walked outside to sit on a bench by the courtyard. He sat down and pulled out his Algebra II book to do homework that Mr. Ackerman had already assigned to them and began to work. This went on for 15 minutes before he heard someone calling his name. He looked up from his book and saw the Marco guy from earlier walking towards him, a giant smile plastered on his face.

Jean sighed and looked back down at his book. _Maybe if I ignore him, he'll go away, _the male thought to himself. But there was no such luck in Jean's favor as the brunette sat down next to him, a tray in hand.

"Hey, Jean, didn't you see me waving at you?" Marco asked, confused on why Jean hadn't acknowledged him.

Jean glanced at him. "Sorry, I just really need to get my Algebra II done."

"Oh, do you have Mr. Ackerman? He scares me, he threatened to kick my class's ass if we called him Levi."

This sentence seemed to actually force a smile onto Jean's face and he laughed. Even though the laugh hurt a bit, he managed through it. "I guess he gave every class that speech."

"I suppose." Marco smiled again and reached onto his lunch tray for his hamburger, lifting it to his mouth. As he bit into it, Jean physically cringed and his stomach growled. Clutching his stomach, he looked down at his math book again, not even paying attention to the words. _You fat pig, don't even think about it. _

Marco stopped chewing and looked at the undercut haired boy. He was leaning over his book and clutching his stomach tightly, seeming to be in pain. He placed his hand on Jean's back. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jean said through gritted teeth. His stomach began to growl again and he held it tighter, forcing it quiet.

"I can lend you half of my fries."

"I don't want them, I said I'm fine." His response was quick and filled with venom. Marco was slightly set aback but he assumed if it was something Jean wanted to talk about it, he would've talked about it. So Marco only nodded and went back to his lunch. The rest of the period was filled with silence.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of Jean's day was rather quiet; he could barely remember the last of his classes. All he knew was that he had a physics assignment. He couldn't remember what it was exactly, he just knew he had one.

Entering his house, he forced on a smile seeing as Delaney was probably home at this point. Seeing a brown blur run towards him, he was proven right.

"Jean, Jean!"

The small girl jumped at him and he quickly caught her in his arms. He held her up enough that she could make eye contact with him. She smiled and hugged him, her small arms laced around his neck. He chuckled and hugged her back. "How was your day, rugrat?"

She pulled away with an even bigger smile on her face. "It was amazing! This boy Richie is my best friend that's a boy and this girl Penny is my best friend that's a girl! We got to draw with each other and we all drew horses!"

A small genuine small graced Jean's face. "That's great, I'm glad your first day went well."

"Did you make any friends, Jeany?"

He tried to think if he'd have to lie to her or not. Then he remembered Marco. They could be considered friends, couldn't they? He hit they guy with a door, but they could still be friends. "Yeah, I did. His name's Marco. He's a nice person, just like Connie and Sasha. You'd like him."

Delaney smiled at her big brother before slipping out of his arms and plopping to the ground. She ran to the kitchen where their mom no doubted was, waiting for Jean to get home. He walked in and his mom was sitting at the kitchen table on her computer. Her normally straight brunette hair was frazzled and her face had a stressed look to it.

"How was your day, dear?" She didn't even look away from the screen in front of her.

He walked past her to the stairs that led to upstairs. "It was fine."

"Good to hear." Jean continued up the stairs to get to his room, only stopping for a second when he heard his mother say, "Be down soon for dinner."

He continued to his room, not even worrying about the meal. She wouldn't actually make him eat, she never had before this morning. She usually forgot to make dinner and fell asleep at the table anyway, ending n Jean driving Delaney to McDonalds. She was always on that computer, trying to find a job nicer than the one she already had. Turns out working in a lonely office cube somewhere wasn't a fun job. But Jean didn't complain about his almost-always-absent mother, he could take care of his sister, better than his mother and father combined. Way better than his father.

Shuddering at the thought of the abusive man, he threw his bag onto his bed before shutting the door to his room. He slid into his desk chair and logged onto his own computer. He went straight to Twitter, checking his followers and seeing if anyone tweeted him. He was surprised to be met with both a follow and not only a tweet, but a DM. he checked the follower he had gained and almost groaned outwardly. In bold letters were the name Marco Bodt. _Why does this guy insist to be my friend? _

He clicked to see who had DMed him and once again saw 'Marco Bodt'. He exhaled when all he saw was the freckled guy asking for the pages and questions in Algebra II, but he still wondered why he was asking him. Marco seemed popular enough that he could ask anyone, why was he asking Jean? Regardless, he answered and then logged out of the site.

He took out his own work and started on it. Then he heard a ping from his phone and looked down to see he had a notification from Twitter. He sighed and opened his phone. I was probably just Marco saying 'Thanks' or whatever it was he said. But Jean was surprised to see that he had replied with, 'I have no idea what any of this is. Do you get it?'

Jean replied hesitantly, 'Yeah, it's really easy.'

A ping was heard almost instantly. "Would you mind helping me with it tomorrow morning? We could meet early and do it in the cafeteria.'

Jean stared at the message almost judgingly, but only thought about how he had nothing else to do. Sending back 'Sure, I can meet you there at 7:30," he then shut off his phone. He didn't need any more surprises tonight. What was this guy not getting? Did he honestly _like _being around the school's outcast? Maybe if he brought Sasha and Connie to the little study session then he'd figure it out.

Jean shook his head, feeling bad for judging so quickly. _He seems like a nice guy, he's only trying to be friendly. _

Attempting to forget the situation, he looked back down at his Algebra II book, continuing the multiple problems that Levi had assigned. An hour later, Jean ended up having to drive his sister to Taco Bell to get her dinner, seeing as their mother had gotten fed up with her searching and locked herself in her room with a wine bottle. He left the house knowing she wouldn't do anything more than get on a small buzz.

He ordered for his little sister, not daring to even look at the menu for himself. Delaney stared at him as he handed the cashier his money, as if silently asking him if she missed him ordering for himself. But she didn't say anything. When getting their order, he handed Delaney her to-go bag and took her hand before leading her back to the car.

At home, he watched her eat, watched her watch TV, and then tucked her in for bed.

Then after getting another DM from Marco on his computer, him expressing how grateful he was for the study session, Jean turned everything off and went to bed on an empty stomach.


End file.
